Human milk is generally recognized as an ideal feeding for most infants due to its overall nutritional composition. For preterm infants and/or infants small for gestational age (SGA), however, the milk of their own mother does not always meet their complete nutritional needs, even though the milk of mothers of preterm infants appears to be adapted to the specific needs of preterms, since initially these preterm and/or small for gestational age infants grow more rapidly than term infants. Although these preterm and/or small for gestational age infants still benefit from human milk, it is often desirable to supplement their human milk feedings with additional nutrients, especially proteins, and added energy. When preterm human milk is fortified with protein and energy, a preterm and/or small for gestational age infant's growth approaches the growth occurring in utero. Human milk fortifiers are commercially available as unit dose powders or in concentrated liquid form that can be added to human milk prior to feeding.
The growth patterns of SGA infants compensate for the growth retardation which they have developed in utero and this compensation by a sudden spurt of growth is known as “catch up growth”. Although it is desirable to ensure that reduced growth is compensated, it is also important that catch up growth should not be excessive as there are indications that periods of very rapid and/or very extensive catch up growth, particularly during infancy, may be linked with a risk of future obesity.
WO 2005/063050 relates to a method of increasing lean body mass and reducing fat body mass in infants, said method comprising administration to an infant a nutritional formula comprising a source of docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) and arachidonic acid (ARA) without impacting the total overall growth of the infant. This method is disclosed to be especially useful in preterm infants. WO 98/44917 relates to a method for enhancing the growth of preterm infants involving the administration of certain long chain polyunsaturated fatty acids (LC-PUFA). It is preferred that the infants are administered an infant formula containing a combination of DHA and ARA. WO 2008/054208 relates to an infant formula for use in a method for preventing and/or treating visceral adiposity. WO 2007/039596 relates to a nutritional formulation comprising an n3 LC-PUFA, a prebiotic fibre and a probiotic bacterial strain to promote catch-up growth in young mammals whose growth has been retarded because the young mammal has been subjected to physical or mental stress.